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Endorsing the budget, SNP councillor Douglas Reid, leader of East Ayrshire Council, said: “There is no point complaining about the situation we find ourselves in or why we are here.

“All of our energy needs to be focused on what we believe to be important.

“I am pleased to be presenting this budget which has once again been developed collaboratively with the leaders of the Labour group and Conservative group.

“Whilst minority administrations in other places might struggle to make decisions, we in East Ayrshire celebrate the fact that a diversity of ideas can be discussed and accommodated without red lines or backstops to produce a positive outcome in challenging circumstances.

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“Each of us in this chamber want to do the best we can for the people of East Ayrshire with the resources we have and we are committed to improving the lives of vulnerable young people, adding life to years for older people and tackling social isolation, enabling community-led regeneration, and tackling child poverty.

How much you'll be paying in council tax

“Even though we need to reduce costs, we have tried to do that without losing sight of what is important to our communities.

“The paper discussed by the cabinet and the recommendations presented to you are the result of conscious collaboration and detailed discussion over a number of weeks.

“In developing the budget we have been acutely aware of the external risks, not only to the council, but to the country and whilst this is another one-year budget, we know that we are not facing a one-year challenge.

Councillor John McGhee, leader of the Labour group, said: “Despite the onerous burden due to this year’s financial settlement, I believe the budget presented today is an example of intense consultation, consideration and a collective desire to put the people we represent at the heart of our everyday business.

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“We are trying to ensure our services are flexible and responsive to local needs and will be taking a fresh approach to dealing with vacant and derelict buildings within our communities, and I look forward to progress on this. Austerity is not over and we continue to face challenges in future years.”

Councillor Tom Cook, leader of the Conservative group, said: “Whilst we are united in our commitment to do our best for local people, reaching a consensus on the budget was not without difficulties.

“Faced with a reduction in discretionary funding from Scottish Government, some tough political decisions had to be made.

“Our objectives were to protect services to residents whilst at the same time limiting the impact of council tax rises and provide a clear direction for achieving the priorities set out in our transformation strategy.

“I believe that by working together we have met these objectives.”

Education to be cut by total of £1.2m

A last-ditch bid to stop the axe being wielded on education was snubbed by councillors on Thursday morning.

Labour councillor Lillian Jones said she would not support the proposed £1.2 million cuts put forward to members.

However, her motion to halt the nine cuts listed was met with silence in council chambers.

Speaking on this year’s financial settlement, the Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse member said: “This is the beginning of the demise of local government.

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Council leader Douglas Reid said: “We all know that we still have a significant funding gap to bridge in the next two years but we are proposing to limit the council tax increase to four per cent rather than 4.79 per cent maximum.

“This will let us start and continue some important work in the next year including: offering more support for survivors of child abuse; continuing to offset the worst impacts of welfare reform; trying out options for free meals during school holidays; and working with our communities to clean up our towns.

“I am also pleased that we have all agreed that school footwear and clothing grants should be increased above inflation to £110.”

Parking charge hike gets the green light

The Standard revealed drivers faced being hit in the pocket as part of budget cuts.

Councillors agreed on a variety of changes to car parking in Kilmarnock.

Car park charges and fines generated £1.27 million for the local authority in 2017-18.

From April 1, off-street parking charges will increase from 80p to £1 and multi-hour discounts will be removed with a £5 cap for full-day parking.